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From the moment you arrive in Pistoia , it seems as if you are in a city wrapped in a green blanket. This image is not just a modern suggestion, but is rooted in a centuries-old tradition that has made Pistoia famous for its cultivation and nursery gardening. As far back as the Middle Ages, there were gardens within Pistoia’s city walls dedicated t...

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When Ryan Turcott first approached Gonzaga University officials about an idea to partner with an Italian basketball team, Turcott, the school’s MA Sports Administration Program director, said they looked at him like he was talking nonsense. But on Wednesday night, Italian youth athletes and their coaches from Pistoia Basket 2000 and DLF Udine Baske...

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Of all the provinces of Tuscany, Pistoia is, perhaps, the one we are less familiar with. Yet, it was Italy’s Capital of Culture only a handful of years ago (it was 2017), and it has one of the best-preserved and maintained medieval town centers in the country. But Pistoia finds its roots further back than the Middle Ages if it’s true that Sallustiu...

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Don’t get me wrong; I love being in Florence. As a volunteer archivist at one of Florence’s libraries, I am used to spending long weekends in this captivating city. Just walking around and drinking in the beauty of its architecture, art, and even shop windows have always given me great pleasure. But… deep down I’m a country girl also ready to escap...

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Cymbals are very ancient in origin: the prehistoric pair of cymbals on the mummy of an Egyptian religious musician displayed in the British Museum in London shows that they were in existence as early as 2000 BC. The manufacture of cymbals was concentrated in China and in Turkey, where methods were discovered to make this instrument more durable and...

1785

From the Brennero Pass at the border between Italy and Austria to Lake Garda, and on to Mantua, Bologna, Pistoia and Florence, by bike on a dedicated track. That’s the idea behind the Ciclovia del Sole (literally Cycle Path of the Sun), a 670-km proposed cycling path, part of one of the most important European cycling routes, the Euro Velo 7, which...

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After all the fabulous exhibits one can see in the heart of Florence, it is possible that a little fresh air in the countryside might just be the ticket to take a breather and relax a bit? After all, how many beautiful frescoes and wonderful palaces unlike any to be seen anywhere else can you take in on your trip? So then, what’s next?  Well, there...

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Il pulpito della chiesa di Sant'Andrea, capolavoro di Giovanni Pisano datato 1301, sarà restaurato grazie alla donazione dell'associazione americana Friends of Florence, che dopo il restauro del Cenacolo di Ghirlandaio alla Badia a Passignano, si impegna in questo nuovo progetto. Il pulpito sarà anche sottoposto ad una analisi della struttura, che...

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1340

Many baptisteries are octagonal in shape, including the one in Pistoia, dedicated to Saint Giovanni in Corte and dating back to the second half of the 14th century. Most experts believe that the eight-side polygonal floor plan of these holy structures, once built near churches, was inspired by the Bishop of Milan, Saint Ambrose, who promoted the co...

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1767

It was two gentlemen afflicted by various health issues who discovered the therapeutic properties of the karstic Giusti Grotto, in Monsummano Terme (Pistoia). They had decided to test the healing powers of the mysterious cave on their own ailing bodies. Here is what a publication from the mid-1800s reported only a few years after the episode (“Espo...

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